Electric free winter stock tank plans???

[Old Mission]

I thought I seen a plan awhile ago for a homemade thing you can do to a stock tank/water bowl to help keep water thawed without electric/heater?

Anyone have a plan or ideas?

[ErinP]

Most of our big stock tanks are electric free.

We put a float of some sort in them to keep the thinner ice broken up, and go out with an ax and pitchfork and chop when it gets too thick for that trick...

[tinknal]

Erin, that might work in Nebraska, but not in Michigan.

An old friend of mine had a tank built into an insulated box with a 2 foot by 2 foot opening in it and sitting where it would get maximum sun. He would usually just have to break an inch or so of ice in the morning. During extended very cold stretches it would freeze up though.

[Harry Chickpea]

The first thought that comes to mind is to drive some metal well pipe about 20 feet into the ground and allow the top to be in the tank.

Second thought is a typical bubbler to keep water flowing so it doesn't freeze.

Third is to do the old chufa where you heat the water using wood, minimize the exposed area, insulate as possible, and fire up periodically on cold days.

[ErinP]

Originally Posted by tinknal

Erin, that might work in Nebraska, but not in Michigan.

Never lived in Michigan, but that's how we did it in North Dakota...

I can't think Michigan would have winters much harder than ND, but I've been wrong before.

[Tom in TN]

I looked at some Propane heaters for water tanks a few years ago. I can't remember which manufacturer I looked at, but I decided that they were too expensive to buy and probably too expensive to operate.

But you might google propane tank heaters and see what's available now.

Tom in TN

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by ErinP

Never lived in Michigan, but that's how we did it in North Dakota...

I can't think Michigan would have winters much harder than ND, but I've been wrong before.

Well, it also depends on how many animals are drinking from the tank. If the water is replaced several times a day it may work, but if it takes the stock a week to empty the tank it will freeze solid. Where I was in Eastern Montana the ranch had live water so the adult animals were never watered, but we had automatic (heated) waterers for the young stock.

[julieq]

Here at about 4,000 ft in Southern Idaho we have to use electric heaters in the horses' stock tanks and large, heated electric buckets in the goat pens. I do wish we could find a cheaper means of providing them with liquid water during the winter, but haven't found one.

[Roadking]

Why buy when you can make?
From a great source of info from one of our members...
The Solar Heated Stock Tank Prototype

Hope this helps.
Matt
PS, big fan of the site he links to.

[littlejoe]

A lot of stock tanks have an overflow. If you position the downside/outlet on a southfacing slope, and deep enough, the air convection will help keep your ice minimal.

I have seen sheets of tin positioned to reflect the sun on the tank... or set your float high enough and directed to the surface, so the water continually circulates... It usually doesn't need much, just a hole big enough for them to drink from.

[lakeportfarms]

Solar heating a tank might work in other areas of the country, but not Michigan. Until those giant stock tanks that surround Michigan named Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie freeze over, we usually don't have too many sunny days in the winter because the cold air picks up the moisture from the lakes (oh, and that also makes it snow...a lot downwind of the lakes). It does keep it a bit warmer than Minnesota or Wisconsin, due to the moderating influence of the lakes and the heavy cloud cover at night.

Your best bet for not heating is a ground heat source waterer, with a large tube 6 feet or so deep. Even then electric may be necessary on the coldest days.

[willow_girl]

I find it helps to use one of the big black plastic tanks in the winter.

[wy_white_wolf]

Solar Gary has several links to ideas for keep stock tanks from freezing in the winter.

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects...ng.htm#Animals

We used to float tires in larger tanks in the winter to help thaw any ice that did buildup. The black tire would aborbe the heat from the sun and melt the ice around it.

WWW

[RuffusWI]

In the past I made insulated stock tanks. Helped with the bill. But I've heard of someone taking plastic pipe running it through a manure pile(which heats the water) then pumps it to the tank. You could use a solar pump.

[meanwhile]

Last winter we took a metal bucket, stuck it down in the middle of a large plastic planting pot. We had to set a few bricks in the bottom so the top of the metal water holding bucket was top level. Then we stuck a whole lot of left over scraps of solid foam insulation all around the bucket.......just stuck them all down in there but only half way to the top.....then we used GreatStuff and foamed all around till it was full half way........waited for a while for the foam to expand......then we stuffed the black pot full again with the left over scraps...and sprayed more Great Stuff in there.....filling the black pot to the top.....we just smoothed it out so the top was sorta level.....then later we sprayed the top black too so the whole outside was black......

Then, of course, the metal bucket in the middle gets filled with water........set the whole contraption in the sunny area of the Dog Yard.......and the sun heats up the black enough to keep the water from freezing......it did not work if the temps stayed freezing day times.......which only happened here three times last winter........but for regular days........it kept the water from freezing.......

Did you check Solar Gary's site.......lots of good plans there......I see someone above gave you the link......

[fishhead]

Originally Posted by Old Mission

I thought I seen a plan awhile ago for a homemade thing you can do to a stock tank/water bowl to help keep water thawed without electric/heater?

Anyone have a plan or ideas?

Yes Solar Gary has plans for one that worked in MT.

How many gallons/day do you need? If it's just a couple I built a waterer that will keep water open to at least -30 F with just a 100 watt bulb. It's in the poultry forum.

[rambler]

Cobett has _THE_ unheated, no electric style of waterer.

http://cobett.com/

From their web site, you can get the jest of how ir works, if you want to build your own similar.

The insulation is important. Going deep, well below frost level, is important. Keeping the water down below the bowl top is important. Feeding the water from the bottom is of course important.

Works well - few years ago we hit 34 below zero F and the days were about 12-15 below zero for a 3 day period, waterer worked like they say - skined over if the cattle weren't drinking for many hours, but never froze up. Actually windchill affects it more than outright cold temps.

If you want to buy, it's a very friendly, mom & pop sort of business, down home.

--->Paul

[Old Mission]

Thanks for all the help, the water is for about 15 sheep. We tore down our barn that was ready to fall down, and with it went the electric and water buried under rubble at the moment, and we are trying to get it back up and working ASAP but need a back up plan or will have to move the animals up closer to the house for the winter.